


Even if you’re so far that I can’t see you, let’s go to the top of dawn together

by keroppii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Kageyama Tobio-centric, Karasuno Family, M/M, Mentions of Kageyama Miwa, Minor Character Death, Romance, Slight kagehina, Third Year Hinata Shouyou and Kageyama Tobio, kagehina third years, karasuno mentions - Freeform, omg its way too fluffy im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28199496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keroppii/pseuds/keroppii
Summary: In spring they walk together through the colorful flowers that light up the space. In the summer they practice in Hinata’s backyard, until the sky turns pitch black. In autumn they go back home side by side and stay late until its freezing cold outside, practicing at the school gym on schooldays. And he knows for sure that this next winter, he won’t have to spend his birthday alone yet again, because he knows that, even if winter seems frosty, he’ll have Shoyo’s warmth to keep him alive through it all.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	Even if you’re so far that I can’t see you, let’s go to the top of dawn together

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers, this is the first au I’ve ever written (and in such short time) so please bear with me. Now this was made to congratulate Tobio because, surprise! Today is his birthday!! Its a 5k word au that was intended to be a character study but ended being a kghn au. I really hope you all enjoy this :-) title comes from dear name by iu!!

_ Spring _

It was so cold, and so empty. Unwashed dishes stacked against the white tiles that conformed the kitchen. It was may, but it wasn’t. At least that’s what Tobio thought. It was too cold and _too_ early to be may. Nonchalance that disassembled sadness, unorganized documents left unread, and _many_ crushed dreams, bloomed as cherry blossoms inside the said boy. It was regret mixed with something _too_ difficult to decipher. And within the rustling sound of wheels against the asphalt, broken promises and whimpers, he found himself wondering that maybe, _just maybe_ , the feeling of regret had turned into anger.

It took him a week to figure that out. The thing is, he has never been good at expressing his feelings, never knowing what the aching in his chest meant. The house got emptier, and weeks got longer. Old CDs, that used to play countable matches of past leagues, laid on the floor untouched, waiting to be played on the now old tv.

He felt frustrated. Tobio knows it.

And he yells, annoyingly so.

In between countless conceited sets, his heart stops and the audience, glaring at the court, goes silent.

Between both teams displayed, the ball bounces against polished wooden planks, arrogantly, making its way to the end of the court with goodbye whispers and a whistle indicating the end of it all. Turning around to face who he had the confidence to call _teammates_ , he was encountered with anger, flourishing within the people facing him. But it wasn’t anger, he thought, it couldn’t be. Because deep down he knows it was disgust.

He tried to find a reason to why he was feeling that way, but there was an invisible hole in between the former members of the team, and Tobio. He was _not_ welcomed, and most likely never will. And so, he leaves the court, one he had baptized as home.

It wasn’t only that he felt desperate but _beleaguered_ and hopeless and so _angry_. And everything inside him exploded at once because Tobio was never able to express his feelings, and between unsteady breaths, he realized how he never got over it. It was so selfish of him, he thought, taking everything, Kazuyo had given, for granted. He was a mess. He remembers his grandfather’s words as a loop in the deepest corner of his lost memory. Tobio cries for the first time.

He threw his blue bag to his back making his arms work as muscle memory, remembering the countless times he’s done that after the _countless_ matches he’s been to. But everything feels _so wrong_ , and he wishes to disappear.

Running back home would be better if there was actually someone waiting for him as how months back Kazuyo would accompany the boy back home to eat whatever he had left prepared on the stove, hours before his grandson had yet another match. Nonetheless, there is no longer a Kazuyo to take care of him and his bicycle is on the verge of breaking. Once he gets home, he eats up the leftovers of what his parents had cooked for him nights ago, before leaving him alone yet again, and for a moment, he lets himself drown in his thoughts.

He cries himself to sleep.

And his grandfather’s picture shines within the small rays of sun that manages to enter the barely opened curtains of a dark house. _“I’m sorry Kazuyo-san”._

_ Summer _

Spring goes by quickly, and in the blink of an eye he steps into what he had promised himself to be the start of a new Tobio Kageyama. Between the multitude of high schoolers, he finds himself running towards that one area he is, somewhat, particular with, and allows himself to break free.

Karasuno never was something to consider. Never on the list nor his plans. Failing was something that was definitely not appraisable but here we are. He wonders if he would’ve been able to pass Shiratorizawa’s admission exam if Kazuyo were with him. Of course, if his grandfather had never left, he would’ve been a better teammate. If Kazuyo was looking at him from above, would he be proud of how his grandson had turned out? Would he be ashamed? It had to be the latter, he had to be humiliated even scantily. Nonetheless, this is where his future was guiding him, and as much as he wanted, he couldn’t bring himself to travel back in time and try to save the elder. It was unachievable.

After hours of studying and trying to keep his eyes opened during uncountable classes, he finds his way towards the big gym, earlier than expected. He settled himself steadily, familiarizing to the atmosphere around him, stopping his actions immediately after a gleam of orange pigmented hair appeared in front of his eyes, making the sun rays beam towards him.

“What are you doing here?!” Orange haired boy calls out, and Tobio shudders. What was this feeling? He asks himself as he feels his stomach turn around in every possible angle, making backflips and pressuring Tobio into blushing hardly. “Who are you?” He asks, although he knew this beforehand, he had met him before, and he even remembers his name, even so, he wants to act as if he’s never seen him let alone know his name. “Hinata Shoyo, we played against each other last year”, Hinata sighs, “I can’t believe you don’t even _remember my name after all_ ”.

As the sun goes down, Tobio finds himself meeting his new teammates as well as he ends up in a fatiguing situation. And after a storm filled with chaos falls through that said afternoon, he goes back home to what feels like emptiness. He wonders if he’ll be able to make friends this year. 

_ Autumn  _

Months pass by with endless practice matches, countable loses and prideful wins; in said time the bond between Tobio and his teammates had grown, and he felt as if he belonged somewhere for the very first time. He had the right to call them friends, and he was accepted for who he was.

But there was something so special about the orange-haired boy that made Tobio feel elated. Maybe it was because of how he always managed to receive his sets, or because of how he never invalidated his feelings, or because of how he always listened no matter how apathetic he looked. Or maybe it was because he made Tobio feel _real_.

It was the late bike rides back home that turned Tobio into a mess. And how sometimes Shoyo stayed home late to cook something _edible_ rather than letting him eat whatever he had bought at school or whatever his parents had left weeks ago for him to prepare while they were gone. But it was mostly because of how Tobio felt safe to open up about his emotions, and between hollow insults and frivolous fights, he cared and Shoyo cared back. _He was, at the end of the day, his first and only friend._ But most importantly, he was just like him. Both connected at first by the intense love for volleyball they had. He was happy to be able to call Hinata a friend and a partner.

He remembers vividly the first time he had invited the latter to his house, feeling flustered just by thinking of spending all day with him. It was rather hilarious to think that a few months ago they hated the guts out of each other, and comparing them to now, that possibility seemed unlikely.

_“Hey Kageyama”, Hinata began, slowing his pace. “What are we doing again?” He asks cheerfully, waiting for an answer. It was Friday, which meant, no school tomorrow, in other words, being able to stay up late. “I… don’t know”, Tobio shrugged. It was true. He wished he had planned “_ what to do with Hinata” _but the whole thought of having him over was impossible until a few hours ago, when the orange-haired boy had invited himself to his friend’s house. He wasn’t even sure if there was anything_ edible _in his refrigerator. “We could watch Tv”, Tobio hummed, turning to the left as his house was a few blocks away._

_They both left their bikes laid on the backyard and headed towards the inside. It was messy but somewhat clean, dark curtains trapped the light outside, making the house seem_ gloomy. _There were plenty unwashed dishes pilled upon each other, regardless, his living room was untouched and unexpectantly clean. ‘_ So, this is how Kageyama’s house looks like’ _Hinata thought to himself. He settled himself on the living room, opening the curtains to receive the sun’s rays directly onto his countenance making him squint his eyes. “You should open your windows sometimes, you know” Tobio ignored him, giving all of his attention to the food-lacking refrigerator in front of his eyes. He scolds himself for not buying anything in advance._

_But before he was even able to close the door, Hinata appeared behind him, tilting his head in confusion. “You’ve got no food, right?” Tobio felt so embarrassed. “Yeah”, he acknowledged, “I can prepare us something! You can wait over there” Hinata seemed so excited about that idea, that Tobio just nodded walked towards the living room._

_It was the first time he had someone over, and him feeling self-conscious was understandable. In spite of that, what seemed more demeaning, was the fact that his_ guest _was cooking for him, when he’s supposed to be eating whatever the host had prepared ahead of time. It all felt like a fever dream. Nonetheless, he just relaxed on the couch, waiting for Hinata to finish._

_Drowning in his thoughts he found himself feeling dizzy, and in an instant the sun was already setting, turning the once blue sky, into earth tones._ Shit I fell asleep, _he thought to himself. But what was more staggering than him sleeping for two straight hours while having someone over, was the fact that two eyes were staring into his. Two bright beautiful eyes, he thought, were staring into his and on top of that, there were fingers caressing his unkempt hair, digging through his scalp and finding their way to the surface, repeating itself as a loop of tenderness itself. It made Tobio feel ecstatic. “Oh, you’re awake” Hinata finally said, his cheeks blooming into a dark red as he realized what he was doing. “Sorry”, Tobio managed to say, although many thoughts held back inside his mind, many which Tobio felt so embarrassed to say out loud. “Oh no don’t apologize Kageyama, I was actually debating whether waking you up was a good idea or not” he laughs nervously, still caressing his hair, and suddenly there’s an annoying sound coming from the kitchen “talk about timing, the food is ready!” Tobio suddenly remembered everything that had happened before this, how Hinata Shoyo was right there and then and this wasn’t a product of his imagination. He was there, in his house, sitting in front of him, their faces mere centimeters away._

_Hinata was ready to stand up when a Tobio opened his mouth out of reflex “We can wait!”, He said, but he didn’t actually mean to Hinata to listen. And when they stared into each other, he was able to listen to his own heartbeat and wonders if the latter was able to listen as how loud it beats. “Oh, yeah. Right.” Hinata said, placing his hand once again on Tobio’s hair, to which he flinched in response blushing by the unexpected action. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that”._

_“It’s fine.” Please keep doing it, that’s what he wanted his lips to formulate, but he couldn’t. The sun rays that merely enter the living room dissipate into orange colors, and Tobio finds them amusing. They look like Hinata’s hair, he thinks._

_After Hinata leaves, his house (and his hair) keeps smelling like the former, mixing perfectly with the aroma of dumplings and onigiris, both which they had earlier. He wishes to experience more days like this (with Hinata especially) in a near future._

_He later finds out that he’s grown fond of autumn._

_ Winter _

December was right around the corner. The weather was seemingly colder, the houses around his neighborhood seemed cozier, his teammates acted merrier. On the other hand, Tobio felt lonelier. It was December 22nd, it was raining, and his parents were on another business trip yet again. The black-haired boy walked to school with a frown placed onto his face, it was another December 22nd, another birthday to spend alone.

The rest of the school day went as always, and he found himself walking towards the gym for some hours of practice, ones which he’d use to distract himself from his thoughts. And those two hours of practice went instantaneously as he and Hinata tried a new quick together, as he and the others practiced receiving and spiking. It was nice to spend this much time with people who liked the same things as him. He felt joyful. But it was now time to go, and it was still raining outside.

“Hey Kageyama”, Hinata ran towards him, putting his shoes on before leaving the place, “when’s your birthday?” he asked. Tobio froze on the spot, _what was Hinata going to do if he found out that it was the latter’s birthday?_ He wished that he hadn’t asked this before, because Tobio was terrible at lying. “Today” he said while opening the door ready to leave the orange-haired boy behind, deep into his thoughts.

“Today?! How come you didn’t tell?!” He asked dumbfounded, Tobio shrugged and walked away, placing his umbrella so that it could cover the raindrops that fell furiously from the sky. The weather was wintry. “Wanna come to my place? We can have my mom make us a cake or something, whaddya think?” He turned around, and Hinata seemed exuberant, smiling from ear to ear, in the most prepossessing way. “Sure, I guess”, the former grabbed Tobio’s arm and lead him to the school’s entrance. “I came here walking”, Tobio began, contemplating how Shoyo stopped in front of the door. “Oh yeah me too, but my house’s far away from here so it’s gonna be a long walk”, Hinata chuckled. “I don’t really mind”, and so, both left the school’s gates towards a new adventure.

They arrived in half an hour of walking through the rain, and surprisingly enough, his mom was in the kitchen preparing her kids a delicious meal. “Kageyama-kun! What a surprise!” Hinata’s mom said abandoning the stove and walking towards the entrance to salute both boys. “It’s his birthday mom, can we get some cake?” Tobio looked away sheepishly, taking his dripping shoes off. “Sure! I’ll go buy some ingredients then”.

Tobio wondered if this is what family felt like. He had never spent a birthday of his with both his parents, it was always with both Kazuyo and Miwa or just Kazuyo alone. Moreover, he admits that he felt jealous at how Hinata was able to spend his birthdays accompanied by people he loves, instead of spending them eating whatever was left in his fridge, and all alone ending up practicing tosses in his dark room. He sometimes wishes his parents had jobs in Miyagi so they could spend more time with him now that Kazuyo was gone forever. He sometimes wishes that Miwa worked near Miyagi instead of all the way in Tokyo, to come visit him more often. He even wishes his sister answered his phone calls whenever he felt lonely. He wishes Kazuyo were here preparing him some curry, one which he yearned for. But for everything that felt sorrowful, Hinata was there. He spent time with him every day, he answered his texts and sent stickers most of the time, he was sure to bring him lunch when he felt like it because _“Eating meat buns and milk everyday isn’t healthy, Kageyama”,_ and most considerably, he no longer felt solitary. 

“Kagyeama”, he heard. He was submerged into his thoughts that he lost awareness of what was happening around him, later noticing how he was _alone_ with Hinata once again. And it was his birthday. “Hey, are you okay?” Hinata asked, perceiving how the boy next to him looked like he was in the verge of tears. “Oh, it’s nothing” he lied.

Of course, he lied, whatever he was going through was nothing he felt like sharing with the latter. “You know you can count on me, right?” Hinata smiled in the most awkward way possible which made Tobio flush in distress, “I know dumbass” Hinata giggled and pushed him aside, “So, what’s been bothering you?” He kept pushing, but Tobio knew he meant no harm, _this is what friends are supposed do, right?_ He wouldn’t know.

It was still raining and Tobio sighed, _what was going to happen if he were to open up to him?_ There was suddenly thunder, raindrops rattling against the big windows. There was a big storm coming. “Kazuyo-san, my grandfather, died a few years ago”, he said finally, to which Hinata didn’t respond. “I don’t want you to pity me, you idiot”, Tobio looked away, maybe he didn’t care at all and he was just wasting the orange-haired boy’s precious time. But instead of perceiving a laugh from the latter, he felt warm arms wrap around his slim body. “’M not gonna pity you”, it felt _familiar_ , and really heartwarming how Hinata’s arms merged onto his body, it felt good to say the least, as if he was made to be hugged in such way by the former.

“After he died, my sister and I were left alone, because our parents work far from here”, he stopped and took a deep breath “you don’t need to tell me everything, you know”, Hinata said hugging him tighter than before, “and I’ve felt lonely ever since, it’s all my fault, I should’ve spent more time with him before he died, he couldn’t even keep his promises”, he whimpered, visibly sad. Another thunder, and the sun was setting. He remembers how the sunset reminds him of Hinata every time, how beautiful they both feel against his skin. Both the warm rays of sun, and the toasty feeling of Hinata’s presence. He likes to think of the former as a sunshine boy.

“And I’ve never been able to forget him fully, it always makes me sad the thought of my grandfather, and every birthday reminds me of how we always spent it together, but up until now, I’ve been lonely”, he says finally, feeling water begin to drown his cheeks. Hinata doesn’t say anything, he just hugs Tobio even harder than before, reassuring him that he’s not leaving the latter, although he doesn’t say it. He had told him everything and nothing, _was that enough?_

“I never got to say goodbye, I never got to show him how much he meant to me”, he misses Kazuyo because he was the only person who understood him, the only person who never made fun of his love for volleyball, the only person to ever love him, the only person to show him how wonderful the world can be. He felt empty inside, he felt as if he were suffocating, soaked into his thoughts of Kazuyo.

And Hinata hugs him harder than before, his numb body barely responding. “I’m here okay”, and he knows its these little things that bring him immense joy. Like sharing their earphones after a tough practice and Hinata laughing at how he never expected Tobio’s taste in music to turn out like that. Or bumping their elbows intentionally while sharing an umbrella in midst of a storm, in hope of something more than just mutual pinning. Or just waking up in the middle of recess with a smiley Hinata eating his bento whilst sitting on the desk in front of his, laughing at Tobio’s cheek covered in dry drool. Or how he had never felt so familiar with two arms wrapped around him. It’s these things that make Tobio feel _colorful,_ it’s what makes his life feel full of joy and warmth. It’s what turn his dawns into sunsets full of earth tones and primarily orange colors that remind him of Hinata. He lets himself cry into his embrace, because he’s found the feeling of homes into the orange-haired boy.

He feels vulnerable, he wants to hide, he wishes Hinata wouldn’t have to look at him like _this._ But he lets him anyway, pulling away to find the other boy’s gaze, eyes looking at his, trasmiting a feeling that he’s never had before. He wonders if Hinata’s always looked this beautiful before, or if it’s the sunset’s glow hugging his golden skin. They both stay quiet. It’s not that they don’t have anything else to say, in fact, there are many things both boys with to declare, regardless, they both remain soundless.

After mere minutes, Hinata wipes the latter’s almost-dry tears off his eyes, “I’m never gonna leave you, okay? I can promise you that” Hinata says, “well, I mean, _duh_ , I’m supposed to get good to beat you one day” Tobio rolls his eyes and lets himself laugh a bit. “That’s gonna be impossible you idiot”.

Yet Tobio knows that, he knows that Hinata is never leaving him. And he feels at ease for the very first time.

Hours later, after they both finish eating the cake Hinata’s mom had prepared, Hinata manages to convince his mother to let the latter stay the night, to which she accedes. “Just because it’s Kageyama-kun’s birthday” she says before leaving the living room in search of Natsu.

Tobio feels warm that night, despite the cold weather that managed to stay on the house’s exterior. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll get to spend his next birthday like this, without the crying of course.

_Spring _

Lavender is what spring smells like.

Flowers embracing the hot rays of a newly unfrozen sun which rises from the mountains in Miyagi. It was Tobio’s first day being a third year in high school and the weather brought nostalgic memories back to the boy’s soul. How the past two years they had been to nationals. How they had seen previous generations of teammates and new friends fly away as leaves in autumn fly towards a new season. How he and Hinata had spent two of his birthdays together. How spring always came after the bright cold winter.

Caterpillars turned into butterflies, empty tree branches bloomed into colorful flowers, and Tobio was more than ready to greet the only person who he had been impatiently waiting all of his winter vacations. Will he be able to meet him before class? Will he meet him after? Why was his breath hitching at the thought of said male?

It was obvious how, after two years, he had grown a certain feeling of fondness inside him. Was it because they spent every minute of the day together? Was it because of volleyball itself? He wonders. It was more of a mystery to Tobio than something obvious as how the other third years of his volleyball team made it seem.

In between of many diverse thoughts that kept climbing and invading the black-haired boy, he kept riding his bike towards school in hope of arriving early or maybe in hope of meeting Hinata.

In between of cherry blossom trees, the orange haired boy stood keeping a bike in its place. “Hey Kageyama!” He greeted him with a smile. There was definitely something in how Hinata Shoyo smiled that made Tobio overflow with emotions, it made him feel somewhat warm.

****

“Hey” he greeted back and walked past him expecting the latter to follow his steps. Which he did. “I can’t believe we’re, like, third years!” Hinata began, “next year we’ll be off to college, can you believe that?!” Tobio shrugged nonchalantly. The thought of college made him shiver, what was it that he wants to do for the rest of his life? No answer. “Are you going to college?” Tobio asked. He wasn’t really expecting an answer since it was more of a question to himself. “I don’t think so...” Hinata stopped himself and stood behind the black-haired boy, thinking.

College was never really an option to Hinata, he thought studying was useless and, instead, wanted to spend the rest of his days playing volleyball. Now, he wonders what the rest of his sentence was about. It was such a pain to talk about school with Tobio anyways, so he just walks ahead and leaves the latter wondering what he was about to say.

“Well, this is my queue, see ya later!” He waved and ran towards his classroom, then greeting some of the people inside.

Weeks went by rapidly, both boys anxious about results and exams, and homework and more exams, all of them which kept piling upon each other until after many months of practice, studying, matches and dinner, they finally embraced what appeared next on the list. Their final tournament. Preparations began, all the members of the team practiced non-stop, trying to discover new techniques that would be able to help everyone win through the diverse teams that shined brightly on podiums that resembled their prideful country.

And as days went by, they found themselves packing things up to leave in the morning to Tokyo, land of sky trees and volleyball, one which they knew better than when they had left for the first time. It was almost noon, and once they arrived at the hotel where they were staying (same as two years ago) they all went to the local gym to practice for a few hours before the next day’s tournament. 

It was nice, the weather felt chilly through Tobio’s skin, the aura around the city was marvelous, and being able to spend this much time around the orange-haired boy was fantastic. Practice went, as foresee, speedily. And in a blink of an eye, the sun had already set turning the bright blue sky into a dark blue. They managed to leave the gym and return to the cozy hotel, to eat, take a shower and then sleep.

And the food was great, to say the least, it tasted _homely_ and reminded the dark-haired boy of Kazuyo. The bath was great as well, warm water that nuzzled their skin returning them the color that the chilly weather had stolen. It was 9 pm, the moon was at its highest point, and Tobio found himself walking towards the entry to inhale the piercing wind, one that echoed Miyagi. “It’s cold”, Hinata appeared from behind, blowing into his hands trying to warm them up. “Yeah”, Tobio replied, looking at the night sky. He thought of how much he wanted to feel Hinata’s warmth against his body like how he did years ago, he thought of how much he wanted to tell him pretty things that circled through his mind like loops repeating themselves over and over, he thought of how much he wanted to hold his hand. “The sky looks pretty tonight”, Hinata came closer, and Tobio could feel his mellowness as an aura around him. _I’m in love with you._ He thought, “Yeah”, he repeated himself.

“Is ‘ _yeah’_ the only word you know” Hinata chuckled, and oh Tobio wanted to kiss him then and there. “Yeah”, the latter burst out laughing, making Tobio tilt his head in confusion. “You’re unbelievable”, and the dark-haired boy wasn’t even thinking clearly. The stars shined brightly, making Hinata’s hair radiate identical to the sun. Seconds, minutes, passing with them not saying a word, nonetheless, surprisingly enough, it felt anything but awkward.

And minutes continued to pass, as both boys stood side by side observing how the stars gleamed and floated around the big bright moon. “Hey, Kageyama” Tobio turned around so quickly that he felt nauseous, he blinked, waiting for an answer from the latter, heart starting to beat uncontrollably at the tension that had grown abruptly. “I’ve been meaning to t–” he couldn’t finish his sentence as he heard another voice overlap his.

“I love you” Tobio interrupted, staring into his eyes without moving nor blinking. “Sorry, keep going”, the former said, preparing his queue to leave, embarrassed to say the least. “Are you serious? Are you for real?” Tobio felt his cheeks redden, and moments from his life began spreading through his mind making him feel as if he were dying. “Yes. No. I’m sorry, just ignore whatever I said”, he ran off towards the inside but Hinata chased after him. “Kageyama wait!” he yelled but it was in vain, he ignored the orange-haired boy and kept running. “WAIT!” He was sure everyone in the building had heard him but Tobio, and he finally found him in between doors, hiding, irked, flustered.

“Oh my god, you idiot, I love you too… that’s what I was about to say earlier”, he was catching his breath, tired from running all over the place. Tobio blinked and blinked again. “Really?” he could barely listen to anything but his own heartbeat. “Really”.

“Promise?” Tobio felt small compared to Hinata, even if he was way taller than him, he felt _vulnerable_ again. “Yes Tobio, I promise”, and the thing is, this was the first time, after Kazuyo, that he had heard anyone use his first name, and hearing Hinata say it in a way _only Hinata_ had known, warmed his heart. Like the taste of honey, like the smell of flowers, like the sight of an alluring scenery. It felt _right._ “I’m not going anywhere”, it was a promise, moreover, a promise that even Tobio knew wasn’t breaking in thousands and thousands of years.

Because, even if people come and go, Hinata had decided to stay there for and with him.

In spring they walk together through the colorful flowers that light up the space. In the summer they practice in Hinata’s backyard, until the sky turns pitch black. In autumn they go back home side by side and stay late until it's freezing cold outside, practicing at the school gym on schooldays. And he knows for sure that this next winter, he won’t have to spend his birthday alone yet again, because he knows that, even if winter seems frosty, he’ll have Shoyo’s warmth to keep him alive through it all. 

End.


End file.
